Dr. Sumin Zhao

Associate Professor

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Biography

Sumin Zhao is a Reader in the School of Philosophy, Psychology & Language Sciences at the University of Edinburgh. She has an academic background trained in the Hallidayan tradition of text linguistics from the University of Sydney. Her expertise encompasses Discourse Analysis, Multimodality, Social Semiotics, and Systemic Functional Grammar. Sumin joined the University of Edinburgh in November 2018 and was promoted to Reader in April 2024. Before her tenure in Edinburgh, she held prestigious positions, including the Carlsberg Distinguished Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at the University of Southern Denmark and the Chancellor's Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at the University of Technology Sydney. Sumin's current research interests include digital literacies and multimodal practices among young children, particularly focusing on the design and use of mobile applications in early childhood contexts. She supervises PhD students on topics related to video-sharing platforms and multimodality. Additionally, she serves on the editorial board of 'Functions of Language' and is involved in various research initiatives focused on language and new media.

Research Interests

Experience

Reader

2018-11-01 — Present

University of Edinburgh • Edinburgh, SCT

Teaching and researching in the areas of Discourse Analysis, Multimodality, and Systemic Functional Grammar.

Carlsberg Distinguished Postdoctoral Research Fellow

2016-01-01 — 2018-12-31

University of Southern Denmark •

Conducted research in multimodality and digital literacies.

Chancellor's Postdoctoral Research Fellow

2013-01-01 — 2016-12-31

University of Technology Sydney •

Carried out postdoctoral research in linguistics.

Visiting Research Associate

2015-01-01 — 2016-12-31

UCL Institute of Education •

Engaged in educational research projects.

Courses

Introduction to Multimodality (MSc) Discourse Analysis (Honours & MSc)

Requirements for University of Edinburgh

Master Program
Requirements
GPA Requirement
Required:3.25
IELTS
Listening
Required:6
Reading
Required:6
Writing
Required:6
Speaking
Required:6
Overall
Required:7
TOEFL
Listening
Required:20
Reading
Required:20
Writing
Required:20
Speaking
Required:20
Total
Required:100
Prerequisites
Undergraduate degree in business, management, or related subject
Application Checklist
  • Academic transcripts
  • Personal statement
  • One academic reference
  • CV/Resume
Specialization Notes

Department of Marketing